The company, Rowan Bay decided to do a worldwide traveler and I was lucky enough to participate. I was first on the list! It will be going around the U.S. before going to other countries. I’m excited to see where else it goes and all the other journeys it goes on.

Chrysler Marina showed up with a zippered tote bag and a notebook so we could write about our adventures. I’m a huge fan of the zippered tote bag, I love bags with zippers. It was big enough so I could carry a few wraps in it to babywearing meetings. I also love the idea of a journal to go with a wrap, because as a community, our wraps go all over – we let friends try them out, host them, they change owners. I would love to be able to follow the history of a wrap.

We got Chrysler Marina in loom state, so we had to wash and let air dry for about a day. In loom state, Marina was SO soft. I thought it had already been washed and ready to go – but there were instructions stating to wash it. It was even softer after that first initial wash — I didn’t even think it could be that way. It was so cushy on my shoulders. No digging at all. I would consider Marina a bit of a bouncy wrap. It stretches a tiny bit while wrapping – diagonally. It stretches a bit with use. You don’t have to readjust often, but I had to readjust once or twice when Tot was up for a good length of time. The slight stretchiness of the wrap made it wrap like an ace bandage. I had a really good chest pass with it. It hugs the curves of the wrappee (Tot) and just molds to both of us.

I wouldn’t consider this wrap delicate, maybe more of a work horse wrap. I can see myself using it constantly. It’s not pull prone at all, due to the weave. The darker colors make it harder to pick up dirt or any stains. The 100% cotton makes it easy to wash, but like always, I recommend contacting the company to see what their washing directions are. The 100% cotton makes this wrap warm, but not too hot. It’s getting cooler here as summer goes down, so it was perfect for the weather.

Marina has some texture, due to the weave, but the Egyptian cotton made the passes glide. It makes the passes move easily while wrapping. It was extremely easy to tie a knot. There is a slight texture, but the Egyptian cotton made the wrap almost shiny. It’s pretty smooth. Because of the softness of Marina, I would say that this wrap is cuddly. It was pretty floppy from the get go.

We loved hosting this wrap while it was here. We loved the pattern and the colors. It was the perfect introduction to Rowan Bay. Marina has moved onto its next host and I can’t wait to hear what other adventures it goes on. We will miss it.

I’m in a Facebook group called Babywearing Challenges. Some of the admins of the group decide on a theme of carries and then, they come up with a month, or so long, challenge. I’ve attempted a few in the past, but after a week or so, I get distracted. So far, I’m doing well! We just finished day 5. They don’t have any challenges on the weekend, so you have the chance to play catch up.

Day 1: Simple Chestbelts

I did a candy cane chestbelt (CCCB), Buleria, and a Kai belt, for this one. I used Bijou Wear’s Stella Wonderland for these chestbelts. I use CCCB for the majority of my finishes, but the Kai belt is a very close second. I’m not quite sure how I feel about the Buleria chestbelt yet.

Day 2: Half knot or lexi twist

I did a simple ruck and I finished with a half knot and then a lexi twist. I wasn’t a fan of either for the most part. I felt like both were strangling me the majority of the time. I’m using Emmeline Textile’s Partita no. 6 here.

Day 3: S2S

I attempted a double sling, shoulder to shoulder finish. Super comfortable. I can see myself using this carry on a more regular basis. I’m using Emmeline Textile’s Partita River here.

Day 4: No sew ring sling finish

I’m not good at ring slings. I don’t know why. I love messing and trying different carries, but I can’t figure out how to thread the ring sling. I’ve watched multiple videos and I’m still struggling. I really like using sling rings in carries, so I need to work on this some more. I’m using Apple Blossom Woven’s Midnight Sky here (review).

Day 5: Twist & tuck

Torso carries are one of my favorites! I tried it for the first time this year and fell in love. I did the twist & tuck finish as you can see — which I can definitely see myself doing again in the near future. Also using Apple Blossom Woven’s Midnight Sky here.

Love trying new things and revisiting old. It’s fun to play around and see everyone else who participates. I love seeing all the different wraps and takes on these finishes. Hopefully I’ll keep up with the challenge and be able to post next week about what I learned.

We were able to test Luluna Sling’s Diamo Helios and I had forgotten it was coming. What a surprise it was when I grabbed the mail! Love fluff mail! The color is gorgeous – it’s like a ecru and tan/beige color. A pretty good neutral. I love diamond shapes, so I thought that the pattern is amazing! They’re like diamond hearts all over the wrap. Geometric shapes are love.

As always, I threw Tot up in my favorite carries: a double hammock, a reinforced ruck and shepherds. The photos are of us in a double hammock. The shoulder passes were not diggy at all – pretty cushy. There is a bit of stretch in this wrap, but it retains its shape pretty well. This wrap takes no time to break in – I felt like in the week it was here, it got softer pretty fast. Combed cotton, which is what Helio Diamos is, breaks in pretty easily.

I had Tot up for a bit and the wrap did seem to relax a tiny bit. I could’ve readjusted my passes from what I could see, but it didn’t feel necessary. Once this wrap is fully broken in, I can see it wrapping like an ace bandage. It’s on its way there! It was pretty smooth on my chest passes and the moldability was spot on – that diagonal stretch at work!

The cotton of Diamos makes it pretty easy care for the wash, but I wouldn’t quite consider the wrap to be a workhorse. The ecru makes it possible to pick up stains. The weave and pattern do not make this wrap pull prone. But as always, check with the company before washing! It’s a pretty airy wrap – we wore it on some hot 90+ days.and I wasn’t worried about being too warm.

This wrap glides – the passes move without issue. You don’t have to do much work to get them into place. It’s quite snuggly as well, and will probably get more snuggly as time goes by and it gets more broken in. I also feel like it will get more floppy in time, with more use.

We enjoyed having this wrap visit us for a bit. I really really like the pattern and the color. I could see it snuggling a little baby – I can imagine it getting *that* soft. I would recommend multi-pass carries for heavier babes, but it worked with single pass carries.

If I could keep a wrap forever, I think Emmeline Textiles’ Natty Dots is on the top of that list. This wrap has been visiting for a little while and I’m not ready for it to move on. This wrap is epitomizes cushy marshmallow. It’s soft and fluffy. Some diagonal stretch, but not too much. Passes that glide, but the dots give just enough texture than the passes stay put.

As always, Tot went up in a double hammock. It’s my favorite carry. I’ve been working on getting that middle marker actually in the middle. We wore it around the store, around the block — just basically around everywhere. Natty Dots is CUSHY. Cush galore. No digging in my shoulders at ALL. We also tried in a ruck, a reinforced ruck, Shephards, and I attempted Giselle’s with a waistbelt. Still cushy. I can’t get over the softness. There is some stretch in Dots — it’s bouncy, but it does retain its shape pretty well. There’s a bit of relaxing – it stretches out a bit while in use, but not to the point of readjusting or having to tighten constantly while wearing.

Natty Dots is ace bandage like. It totally conforms to whatever carry you chose to do. It molds around you and your wearee perfectly. I pretty much felt like I was wrapping us in an ace bandage. A nice, soft, cushy ace bandage.

Natty Dots is 100% cotton. Easy care – but like always, I recommend checking out the company’s washing directions before washing. With how often we wore it, it never got dirty… There were no spots on the tails or anything at all. We take care of our travelers when we host – but I always get worried when a natty (natural colored/no dyes) wrap comes through here. I wouldn’t consider Dots to be delicate and it’s not pull prone at all. The weaves makes it so it’s almost impossible. Dots is also thin, so pretty breathable.

Dots’ passes glide nicely, but I wouldn’t consider it too slippery. They move easily while wrapping. Depending on the carry, I could see having to readjust, but we never had the problem here. The dots create a bit of texture – not too grippy at all. But it helped my passes stay put. The texture of Dots is soft and pretty smooth except for the tiny dots that create the pattern. There’s 3D little dots all throughout the wrap. They’re also pretty small and sometimes hard to catch up on photos. Dots is also pretty floppy. Thin enough to flop around my hand, it creates a nice flow to the wrap.

So I loved this wrap. I’m pretty sad that it needs to move on. It was a soft blanket during nap time and a soft wrap when it was time to go up. I’m falling hard for natty wraps now and I wouldn’t mind having this one in our wrap collection. This one was a tester that I wouldn’t mind seeing show up on the website. This one is a winner EmTex!

I was super excited to check out Nona. I’ve heard a lot of things about them, but the one thing that stuck out to me was how supportive they are. Tot is doing nothing, but getting bigger – so being able to find a wrap that can support all of that weight is amazing. I was surprised when Palmae first arrived. It’s thin, and since it was on the newer side, a little on the rough side. We spent many hours up, braiding it, and sleeping on it, trying to help break it in. It seems that Nonas do need a little bit more TLC to help break them in, but the pricing makes it incredibly worth it.

Tot went up in multiple carries. Ruck for quick ups, normally when there’s a meltdown about to happen. When we went out shopping and he was up for more than 20 minutes, we always seem to go with a double hammock. It’s one of my favorite carries and I feel like it helps me really get a feel for the wrap.

Palmae Spitsbergen has an ecru warp and a purple weft. You could definitely use either side interchangably. We want with the more ecru side, since that’s what Tot picked out. We went for a walk around the neighborhood, to get some photos. After a while the straps do feel kind of diggy on the shoulder, but I feel like that could definitely work itself out once the wrap becomes more broken in. There is absolutely no stretch at all, there is very limited give. This wrap is pretty solid and wasn’t stretching out with use. We didn’t have to readjust at all while up.

I feel like this wrap will just get better with time. The more it’s broken it, the more you can do with it. It’s a little cumbersome right now, but it will definitely soften up. It started to soften up while it was here, and I would love to host it again, once it has gone through a few more hosts. I would love to see my review change with a fully broken in Palmae.

I would consider this wrap a workhorse wrap. The weave is tight enough that I don’t see it being prone to pulls. It’s easy care – throw it into the washer when it’s dirty. It’s 100% cotton, so no special washing directions either. I always recommend following the company’s directions to wash though. It also wasn’t hot at all while we were wearing, but with the tight weave, I don’t see it being super airy either. But it was thin enough that I didn’t consider it warm.

This wrap is grippy. The passes stuck once over, and I had to pull a little bit more just to make sure that my passes were where I needed them. The texture made it almost like velcro – once the pass was there, it was THERE. No readjusting was needed after I got my carry where I wanted it. The texture feels nice under your touch. I can’t say enough how I can imagine this wrap once it gets soft, and I want it to come back once it gets that way. This wrap definitely retains its shape. When it first arrived, when I did the drop test (just dropping the wrap from a standing position), I’m pretty sure it could almost stand. But towards the end of its visit, it did flop down.

I know I keep saying it, but I feel like this would be an amazingly supportive, soft wrap once it’s fully broken in. Palmae will take a bit of work, but it’s thin, has a fun pattern, is incredibly supportive – I can see it being a great wrap. They’re affordable – which is a plus in my book. Hopefully, this wrap can come by again, once it’s had more TLC and I can see what it truly feels like. I recommend this wrap for the bigger, older babe – it’s not soft and cushy enough for a newborn at this stage.

Hi! Me again, with another amazing Risaroo Wovens woven wrap. This is their new print Lemonade, in a brand new color way – Mint. Mint Lemonade, which is also a perfect refreshing drink for this hot weather that we’ve been having. Yellow and green. It’s cushy and soft. Slight stretch. It’s breathable, airy. All the perfect qualities for a wrap.

I threw Tot up in a double hammock for about an hour and a half. We go walking around our neighborhood. Double hammock is our go to, with a base size wrap. He loves it and my daughter likes grabbing the tails to help. Tot is pretty weightless in this wrap. I had no issues with digging in the shoulders. It felt pretty cushy and held solid the entire walk.

Mint has a slight stretch. Each pass glides over and stretches a tad bit for the perfect tight carry. I had no issues with it relaxing during our usage. I didn’t have to readjust or fix any passes. Due to the stretch, I would consider this wrap ace bandage-y. I felt like it hugged us right out of the package. It hugged the curves, no issue – as you can tell from the seat in the picture above. There was no breaking in or anything, and it already felt that way. I can’t even imagine how much softer this wrap will get with time.

This wrap is Tencel and cotton – so it’s pretty easy to wash. I know Tencel can get a bit fuzzy with multiple washes, but I haven’t had that issue with RW. There are some pretty easy hacks out there to fix it, if it happens. Also, air drying afterwards really keeps that from happening. The Tencel does make this wrap so soft and airy though. It’s nice and smooth, with a bit of texture from the ecru pattern popping out.

It is also so FLOPPY. When I do the drop test, it just flops straight down. It’s not stiff at all. I love breaking in wraps, but when one comes all perfect and soft and ready to go – it’s exciting to me. It will only get better with time. Because of the pattern, I would be cautious of pulls. But with any woven wraps, it’s always possible, so be careful.